How SC members of Congress voted, week ending Dec. 20

Published: Sunday, December 22, 2013 at 9:00 a.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, December 22, 2013 at 9:00 a.m.

WASHINGTON — Here’s how South Carolina senators voted on major issues in the week ending Dec. 20. The House was not in session.

TWO-YEAR BUDGET DEAL: Voting 64 for and 36 against, the Senate on Dec. 18 gave final congressional approval to a twoyear, bipartisan spending and revenue plan that will enable Congress to operate in a stable budget environment through September 2015. The measure (HJ Res 59) softens the impact of the blind cuts known as sequestration on defense readiness and critical domestic programs; raises a variety of taxes and fees by $7 billion over 10 years; reduces deficit spending by $23 billion over 10 years and slightly raises discretionary spending to $1.012 trillion in fiscal 2014 and $1.014 trillion in fiscal 2015. Additionally, the bill would save $6 billion over 10 years by trimming cost-of-living increases in the pensions of military retirees who are younger than 62.

Among its revenue provisions, the bill would increase airline ticket fees; raise pension contributions by newly hired federal employees; trim certain payments to Medicare providers; increase fees paid by corporations to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation and require states to pay a larger share of the cost of managing mineral leases on federal land.

A yes vote was to send the bill to President Obama for his expected signature.

Not voting: None 2014 MILITARY BUDGET: Voting 84 for and 15 against, the Senate on Dec. 19 gave final congressional approval to a bill (HR 3304) to authorize a $625.1 billion military budget for fiscal 2014, including $80.7 billion for actions in war zones; up to $60 billion for active-duty and retirement healthcare; $17.8 billion for nuclearweapons programs run by the Department of Energy; $10 billion for the U.S. Special Operations Command and $9.3 billion for spaceand land-based missile defenses. The bill funds a 1 percent military pay raise, bars higher copayments or enrollment fees in the military healthcare system and sets active-duty endstrengths of 520,000 for the Army, 327,600 for the Air Force, 323,600 for the Navy and 190,200 for the Marine Corps.

The bill keeps the handling of sexual assault cases within the chain of command where they occur, but ends commanders’ authority to dismiss the findings of a court martial. The bill establishes a special counsel to help survivors of sexual assaults navigate the military legal system and makes it a crime under the Uniform Code of Military Justice to retaliate against those who report sexual assaults.

A yes vote was to send the bill to President Obama for his expected signature.

Voting yes: Graham, Scott

JEH JOHNSON CONFIRMATION: Voting 78 for and 16 against, the Senate on Dec. 16 confirmed Jeh Johnson, 56, as the fourth director of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in its 11-year history. Johnson, who comes to the post from private law practice, was general counsel to the Department of Defense in the first Obama administration. The 200,000-employee DHS was founded soon after 9/11 with the consolidation of 23 separate agencies into a single department. The previous DHS directors are Janet Napolitano, who served in the first Obama administration, and Michael Chertoff and Tom Ridge, who headed the department under President George W. Bush.

A yes vote was to confirm Johnson.

Voting yes: None Voting no: Scott Not voting: Graham JOHN KOSKINEN CONFIRMATION: Voting 59 for and 36 against, the Senate on Dec. 20 confirmed the nomination of John Koskinen, 74, for a five-year term as commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service. He becomes the 48th permanent (non-acting) IRS commissioner since the agency was founded in 1862. Most Republicans opposed his nomination in response to the scandal this year in which the IRS was found to have given extraordinary scrutiny to applications from conservative organizations for tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(4) of the tax code. Koskinen has held high posts with Freddie Mac, the Office of Management and Budget and mayoral offices in New York City and the District of Columbia, and has broad experience in the private sector.

A yes vote was to confirm Koskinen.

Voting yes: None Voting no: Graham, Scott

A look ahead

Congress is in adjournment until the Second Session of the 113th Congress begins Jan. 6. The Senate that week will vote on the nomination of Janet L. Yellen as Federal Reserve chair and a bill to extend unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless. The House schedule is to be announced.

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